Rock Candy

River Market district will be partying too

There will be plenty to do directly outside the perimeter of Riverfest on Friday and Saturday nights. We note the planned Pub Crawl, with $10 admission bands that get you into every River Market area pub, available both nights. And, that means that even though Riverfest shuts down at 11 p.m. those nights, the party doesn't have to shut down.

Also, Rumba, the restaurant owned by Sticky Fingerz folks Chris King and Suzon Awbrey had a soft opening last night and is opened with a limited menu for the weekend. But, even at limited, we're told it was pretty good food (Cuban-Mex blend) and the place "looks very cool," our source told us.

We're expecting lots of spillover from Riverfest into the piano bars, Sticky Fingerz for their planned acts, the Flying Saucer and Gusana's, and Rumba will be rumbling as well, though the Rev Room next door is still getting the finishing touches and won't have anything on tap.

The Underground Pub is the only club that will be within the perimeter of Riverfest. They absolutely insist being part of it; we're told that last year, their Saturday night was their biggest night EVER. So, there will be partying there until the early morning hours as well, and you can get in and out of that gate by the River Market to get to the Underground.

Across the river, when folks leave the North Little Rock gates, they'll find Cornerstone Pub and Reno's both offering live music on Main Street.

It's going to be a serious happening. If the rain stays away, this just might be the biggest weekend of fun ever for the riverfront. We're going to do our part. AmyB adds a "you bet."